a beetle in the sink
Yesterday the kids were washing their hands in the upstairs bathroom. Naomi turned to me and calmly said, “Mommy, we couldn’t wash our hands downstairs because there is a beetle in the sink. Its about this big.” She held her thumb and index finger about a half inch apart. ”Why didn’t you just kill it?” I asked. ”Because its kind of hard. Go look.” So, totally expecting a little moth or potato bug I tromped down the stairs and walked into the bathroom. Peering over the sink I screamed. The “little beetle” was actually HUGE! It was black, the size of a silver dollar, and trying to climb up the side of the sink. Beetles normally don’t bother me. The only insects that do make scream or jump are ones with hair… however the shock of seeing this beetle in my sink was a little disturbing. Dan went and got a box and carried it outside. Benji promptly stepped on it saying he was protecting our family.
Because I screamed and ran from the bathroom I didn’t get a picture. However, I found a picture on the web of a similar looking beetle. Just imagine it all black.
Christmas
Our Christmas was wonderful. Christmas Eve we spent time together as a family and opened our gifts, filling the coffee table with Barbie stuff, transformers, and lincoln logs (thank you so much Bob & Cindy Miller). We lounged around, watched movies, and drank a lot of coffee.
Christmas morning we cleaned house and prepared for our friends to come over for a BBQ. Everything was perfect until it started raining. And it kept raining until we had about 4 inches of standing water in our back yard and front garden. So I was still determined to have a BBQ we put the grill on our little front porch and grilled away. Our house smelled of campfire, meat, cookies, and rain. We had a great time visiting with friends and celebrating Christmas.
On the move AGAIN
And once again we are getting ready to move again. My stomach knots up just thinking about it, but hopefully this will be our last move for a very long time. Pray for us please as we go through the motions once again. I think I could pack boxes in my sleep. Lots of personal social stuff is kind of being put on hold for the time being as I wander aimlessly through the house looking for something to pack, remembering to contact someone, running errands, etc.
Thank you so much to all of you who sent packages, cards, and the Oregon calendar. We have enjoyed it all. Thank you so much for all of your prayers.
Blessings,
Daryl.
you know, life…
On Wednesday night we went to the graduation party for Vianca, a teacher at the kids’ preschool and also their main babysitter. It started at 8:30pm, we didn’t leave till 10:30pm, but the kids were all hopped up on coke and cheesepuffs (there was a huge bowl in the center of each table, I think the kids ate a pound each.)
Ben had been going around the crowd, being himself and meeting people (Uncle Mike you’d be proud of your nephew, Ben’s a natural crowd surfer). We noticed that he had had an especially thoughtful conversation with one of his friend’s dads. And we could see the dad holding in laughter as Ben talked and asked questions, but they were just far enough away that we couldn’t quite make what they were saying.
So on the way home in the car, we had the following conversation:
Us: Ben, what did you talk to your friend’s dad about?
Ben: Oh, you know, just about life and stuff
Us: Really, well what kind of… stuff?
Ben: You know, that you live, but sometimes you get sick, or old, and where you go when you die… that I’m going to a new school next year, not Arca de Noe anymore… just stuff.
Us: (holding in our laughter) Oh… we see.
As some perspective, we have had numerous conversations with Ben and Naomi about two people they know who have gotten cancer, one has since passed away, and the other is still fighting. So there you go, “just life and stuff” from an almost 5-year-old.
vacation begins
the kids start summer break today, so instead of having a normal Monday morning hurry-get dressed-eat breakfast-off to school rountine, we had the following:
parents yelling up the stairs: time for breakfast!!
Naomi & Ben: coming!! coming!!
thump thump thump… Naomi and Ben coming down the stairs
parents: where’s your sister Rachel?
Naomi: in her pajamas, in bed, sucking her thumb
parents: oh…
I guess that’s how a 3 year old celebrates vacation 
happy birthday Rachel!
Today we celebrated Rachel’s birthday. I made a Barbie cake with her favorite color PINK. We had a great time and have plenty of pink frosted cake left after celebrating with another family and Teresa.
Where has Daryl been?
Lately you have been reading a lot about Dan and his ministry which has been really cool. I am very proud of Dan and all the work he has been doing to build relationships with the college students in three different cities.
So where have I been besides running the kids to sports and all the other mom stuff? Making purses. What started out as a hobby, creative outlet has now become something of a tiny business. Tiny meaning I have sold 2 and given away a few and the people who have seen them really like them. On Monday I meet with the guy who is designing business cards for me, and he said my designs were really cool (in Spanish of course). I have been taking clothes I don’t wear anymore and making them into various sized bags. I just had a friend (seamstress and friend from church) take me to the center of La Cancha and help me buy thread and material. It was fun as she introduced me to people she buys from and told them to treat me well. We had a great time chatting and laughing. I have so many ideas in my head I can’t seem to sew them fast enough. Photos will be coming soon. This purse thing was accidental and I am praying that God will use it to make new friends that I can share Christ with.
My high lights turned out great! I had a great time talking with Ana even though we never returned to the marriage conversation. However, we are getting to know each other and I enjoy chatting with her.
And last but not least for all of you who know how much I like clothes here is my latest… a funky green dress for my birthday. Until next time!
the story continues…
Sorry about the low resolution, these are cell phone pictures. Last week was a great week, a reminder of why we do what we do.
A couple weeks ago I wrote that Every Number Has a Name. I get to travel to Oruro every couple weeks and work with a group of college students who are preparing for a city-wide outreach in January. This is our group last Tuesday night. I think it’s funny, we meet in a kindergarden classroom complete with a time-out board, animal themed alphabet, and weekly artwork on the walls. But hey, it’s available and there’s enough tiny chairs for everyone
They filled the chalkboard with names. Friends, family, classmates, all who have yet to hear and follow the path Jesus Christ gave us for abundant and eternal life. And there in an Oruro kindergarten room, we broke into groups of three and four and prayed for everyone on the board.
On Saturday I was in La Paz and El Alto again. During the day I had lunch with 11 college students who just returned from a two week evangelism outreach in Lima Peru. This was their first cross-cultural short term experience, and they had a LOT of stories to tell. We met for three hours, and they probably could have kept talking if they didn’t need to close up the restaurant. In the evening I was sharing in a church called Luz de Cristo (Light of Christ). In the middle of praise and worship this couple walked in.
Some of you might remember a story I told in the States about Jenny and Ausenio. Well, this is Jenny’s sister Maria and brother-in-law Meishael. I wish I could tell you that Jenny and Ausenio are still going to a church. But they aren’t. I did call and talk to them on the phone, and they are slowly healing from the pain of losing their child last year. What I can share though is the Bible study Maria and Meishael started a year ago in their home has grown to over 60 people! And they keep inviting Jenny and Ausenio, so keep praying!
Yesterday Daryl went to get her hair cut at Ana’s Place. Daryl made friends with Ana a year ago , and then got her four missionary friends to go there to. I used to joke that Daryl’s spiritual gift was making friends, but I’m not joking, she has an incredible gift. Ana talked to Daryl and about her four friends, and how they’re all still married to their first husbands, and have kids, and talk nice about their families, and then said, “Marriage must be different for Americans. All my friends are divorced and single moms with boyfriends. I think marriage here is somehow harder.” Wow, it just opened up a conversation for Daryl about our marriage, the ups and downs, the good, the hard, and God. Daryl’s going back in for highlights this Thursday because she said, “Highlights take four hours, and I want four more hours of conversation with Ana.”
To be honest, life right now is hard. We’re having to move again (4th time and counting) because our home is being sold, and we don’t yet know where we’re going to move to. We continue language study because our brains just don’t learn as fast as our kids’. The political climate is… uncertain. Today is Rachel’s birthday and we so much wish Grandmas and Grandpas could be here to see her sing and dance and smile. So we hold onto the chalkboard filled with names, a 60 person home Bible study, a deepening haircut relationship, because that’s why we’re here, hair highlights, tiny kindergarden chairs and all.
Happy summer vacation!
Tonight we’ll go to the downtown performance center and watch as all three kids sing and dance for their end of the school program. The schools here go all out with costumes, choreography, stage crews and lighting. And as the finale of the program, the kindergarten class will march across the stage in full cap and gown to receive their diplomas.
Naomi already graduated from Portland Christian Kindergarten last May just before we left the States, learning to read, write, make friends, and go to school in English and with American customs. I still laugh about the day she came home and told us about the “clothespin bathroom”. “The what?” we asked. “The clothespin bathroom. It’s because you have to first get a clothespin from your teacher before you can go there.” Clothespins were their hall passes we finally figured out.
Naomi, Ben, and Rachel came to Bolivia, and without even a summer break, had to do six more months of school. The school year here follows the southern hemisphere summer, Feb. - Nov. Naomi now knows how to read and write in Spanish too (did you know the Spanish alphabet has 5 more letters than the English alphabet?), and also studied some basic Quechua words and the history, dress, food, and customs of Bolivia’s nine departments and people groups. And all three kids have made new friends and settled back into their home here.
We’re so proud of how hard they have worked and how much they’ve learned. So Naomi, Happy 2nd Graduation Day! And to all three, starting tomorrow happy summer vacation!
P.S. I don’t think we said much about our trip to Argentina and Santa Cruz. We had a great time!! It was good for all of us to spend time with other WorldVenture missionaries and their kids. And the kids got to do all kinds of new things like roast hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire, go to an enormous butterfly and tropical bird park, climb a 10 story tower that looked out over the jungle cannopy, and even go on a buggy ride. It was a long trip, especially the bus ride, but overall a really good time. Greg and Laile, Dick & Lori, Andrea & Betty, Steve & Marlene, Dave Nancy, Rod & Kathy, Barbara, God willing we look forward to seeing you all again in couple of years.
Every number has a name
… 12 short termers
… 14 believers in discipleship
… 15 Bolivian missionaries
… 85 leaders being trained
… 425 helped with food, shelter, or education
November means 2 things: field conference and end-of-the-year reports. But can you really measure the impact of ministry with numbers? When we moved to Bolivia in June 2005, we were filled with ambition and vision. We prayed daily that God would use us in His plan to reach Bolivians for Christ and send Bolivians to the nations.
In 2008, we noticed our prayer lives had changed. We used to pray that God would involve us in evangelism. We now pray for Marcos, Javier, Alejandra, Neala, Simón. We used to pray that God would direct us in discipleship. We now pray for Ariel, Saúl, Hernan, Dolly, Osman, Shirley, Danny, Yerco, Joshua, Isidro, Gabriel.
In 2005 we prayed for numbers.
In 2008 those numbers have names.
WorldVenture’s motto is Powerful partnerships …Transformed Lives. Why do we count and fill out our reports? …because every number has a name, and because every life counts to God. So we wanted to tell you about 2 of these transformed lives.
I was listening and praying silently while he shared the gospel. And for some reason, I never cease to be surprised when I hear, “Yes” to the question, “Would you like to receive Christ into your life?”
I first noticed Saúl about 2 years ago because he was doing a skit and it was pretty funny. 3 years ago Saúl became a Christian. He quickly got involved in the college group at his church, someone noticed his drama skills, then his leadership ability, and soon he was a very busy Christian. 2 years ago Saul started Bible School. 1 year ago he was voted President of his college group. But still inside something was missing.
6 months ago he sat down after a college meeting and began asking me some deep life questions. Later we got together, I taught him how to hit a golf ball, we shared 2 cokes, he told me his story and I shared mine. Since those first 2 cokes, Saúl and I have met 5 times to talk about life and discuss God and the Bible.
As Saúl and I sat on that bench, he said, “I was hoping that you could share the gospel with my friend Juan.” “Hmm.” I said. “I think since Juan is your friend, how about we both visit him, but I’ll listen and pray while you share.”
So there we were, sharing about life, drinking clear plastic cups of yes, more coke, and Saúl shared the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.
“Juan, would you like to receive Christ into your life today, right now?” “Yes, yes I would.”
Jesus said when even 1 person enters the Kingdom of God, over a 1,000 angels throw 1 big party.
3 years ago there was 1 big party for Saúl.
2 months ago there was 1 big party for Juan.
Looking forward to what God will do in 2009.
happy birthday Daryl!
Well, I turned 31 today.
Its been a great day filled with comments like, “Mommy you so beautiful,” from Rachel. Naomi kept making me presents wrapped specially by her along with cards filled with Crayola drawings of how I would look as a princess. Ben sang Happy Birthday. Dan and I went out for chocolate this morning and got caught in a rain storm which sort of flooded the streets…
I was the one driving and it was pretty cool.
Tomorrow night Dan and I will go out for my birthday(that is when we could get a babysitter). We are going to eat Sushi and then see the new James Bond movie in the theater.
It has been a great day. On top of that lots of people have sent cards, notes, and emails wishing me a wonderful day! THANK YOU so much it made my day.
from argentina
Air travel here can be different than the US. Sure, they use airports and planes. But in the middle of check-in, you have to take your partial boarding pass to another part of the airport, pay the “airport use tax”, return, fight your way to the front of the line, show the tax sticker, and wait for the rest of your check-in process. After you have the final boarding pass documents, you proceed to the national exit tax booth, then security screening, then immigration, another “tax booth” for non-citizens, and a final review booth where all paperwork and taxes are re-checked. All told, it now costs close to $65/person for the privilege of leaving Bolivia. Whew…
But it’s not done yet. We were booked from Cochabamba to Tucuman, Argentina, but the last leg we didn’t fly, we took a bus. I guess there weren’t enough passengers to justify using a plane but instead AeroSur contracted with a local bus company and took us and 20 other passengers by bus, turning the last 45 minute hop flight into a 4 hour bus ride and arriving finally at 2am. Oh, did I mention we’re traveling as a family, all 3 kids.
We’ve had a really good time getting to know 5 other families from WorldVenture who are working in Argentina. And it’s been good to be included in their anual meetings this year. We went out to the mountains where they rented two homes, and spent two days doing business, and two days enjoying the company of fellow missionaries.
Tonight we’re back in the city of Tucuman and we say goodbye to Dick and Lori Greenman as they head back to the States for a year or more of raising more support and taking care of some medical needs. Dick has been our supervisor, but his role has been more like an adopted uncle to the kids, and moral support to Daryl and I. They will be missed by us and their team in Brasil.
Some odds and ends:
*The evangelism outreach in Cochambamba was incredible with over 3500+ people making commitments to Jesus Christ. Please pray as we move into a year of discipleship.
*Our suitcase was never found. Ghana stopped calling us and their phone number and address turned out to be false.
*Our landlord in Cochabamba can’t decide if she wants to sell her house or not, so we might be moving again, and this has us discouraged and tired at the prospect of finding a new home. We’ve been given the opportunity to buy a four bedroom condo from missionaries who are leaving the country. This is a big decision and complicated with timing and financing. We need God’s wisdom.
*Daryl is now involved in a weekly art class for adults, and also taking the kids to gymnastics and Taekwondo three times a week. As is her gifting, she is making friends with classmates and parents who have yet to experience a life with Jesus Christ. Please pray for open doors to share the good news of Jesus.
*Dan’s “itinerant college pastor” ministry continues to grow with more requests than he has time to fill. Please pray for wisdom in making decisions, and for the growth of the leaders he is discipling. We’re also considering adding a staff position for a Bolivian pastor to help in teaching, discipleship, and short term teams.
*We go on vacation next week as a family. We don’t have a beach or campground in Bolivia, but we found a hotel with a tube slide. The kids are looking forward to swimming, and we’re looking forward to some rest from the pressure of ministry.
*In the next year, we have 6 interns from the US currently raising money to come and help with the work in Bolivia. This is exciting news!!
love from Argentina, Dan, Daryl, Naomi, Ben, and Rachel Collins
You know that gut feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you something isn’t quite right? I’ve had that feeling for the last few days.
Dan wrote that our suitcase was found…well now we aren’t so sure. Correspondence with the people in Ghana, Africa has put us on edge especially when they started asking us for money. So the sad news would be it was a scam. We aren’t sure how they got all our information, and if they don’t have the suitcase how did they figure out what was in it? But the crazy thing would be they do have it and are asking some astronomical price because they need the money. There are so many questions running through our heads. Our main one being how on earth did it get to Ghana, Africa?
Today we are sad. Our hopes were high as we thought we would be reunited with some sentimental items. But who knows what will happen. I guess we will find out in the next couple of days.
